"it's +/- 9. derived from an AC wall-wart and using a regular 2 terminal barrel plug. No batteries, but if there is a demand i can make a battery accessory that would simply be placed in the bottom housing."

"But I want to emphasize that the "INNER MUtron of the circuitry is unchanged, and can exactly reproduce the circuit path and component choices used in the ORIGINAL 1972 Musitronics product. The new features ADD to the perormance and flexibility but do not take ANYTHING away from the original structure of the original circuit. "

This was funny- reminded me of our left brain/right brain thread... :

" Unfortunately for everybody I might have to do the demo myself because my buddy Elliott Randall is in England (he usually helps me with demos) and the protootype is here in San Diego. Well, I will do the best i can with the 2 chords and no riffs that I know. But at least I know how to tweak the controls to make the 2 chords and no riffs sound "OK". Jerry would puke in his grave if he heard me."

"Do not write so that you can be understood, write so that you cannot be misunderstood." -Epictetus

First show: 8/16/69 (Woodstock)
Last show: 3/19/95 (Unbroken Chain breakout)
Member of the Four-Decade Club
Charter Member, President & CEO of OAD (Order of the Ancient Deadheads)

Smolder wrote:I'm curious - having had more than a few various pedals in an attempt to get there (but no real mutrons).

I've heard (from experts) that there is a consistency issue across the original devices. It's unclear to me if that was a manufacturing issue or an aging over time issue. Has he acknowledged or addresses that issue or efforts to reduce variability at all?

There are inconsistencies in the units that have not had the electrolytic capacitors updated and/or resistor tolerances checked. Any and all that I have done these simple updates to have made the unit perform as new. When Mike sold Musitronics the quality control probably took a dive, especially when the circuit changed, but any of the Mu-tron 3's from the time he was at the helm have all been stellar units and I would gamble that each one of these new ones will perform just as he states they will. Well worth the investment, I plan on saving my pennies to get one! I am stoked to know it is a bi-polar power supply and only hope he kept the simple input buffer stage the original had. Both of these were changed with the Q-tron, which was a collaboration. I have researched, tweaked, modded and have attempted to make my own mu-tron 3 and in my opinion, the most important factor in the unit, aside from it's circuit, is the spec of the Opto. The original Qtron had a decent spec on theirs, and some come real close to the original, but the original Biegel Opto has more depth to it that is very evident when you play one of his. And is very consistent from unit to unit. It is the heart of the unit and if he is reproducing these, many will be very happy!

~waldo

Disclaimer: I get paid to make, modify or build things for those that seek what i may be able to provide.

"THERE'S NO RACK VERSION OF THE PRESENT UNIT PLANNED YET. But I did discover that i have enough parts to make ONE and possibly TWO of the 1979 Beigel Sound Lab Envelope controlled filters. But being hand made, it (or they) would be very expensive (almost twice the cost of the last one I sold at $2100 just because of the amount of hand work and some parts ordering to make them "boutique style". If you are interested in THAT, please send me an e-mail at info(at) mu-tron.org and we can see if it makes sense to do this.

An alternative would be for me to put out a new series of that product (Beigel Sound Lab Envelope Controlled Filter. These days production runs less than 100 units are NOT economical for either the Manufacturer (me, with a little help from my friends) and YOU (all) or Y'ALL at least 50 sign ups to make a break-even on the production run) . Beyond making the 1 or 2 just mentioned, I would also want to re-design the product so it would be easier and much more economical to manufacture. The first units, while delivering really great sound quality, were almost absurdly difficult to make, resulting in my selling the (46 or so units in the 70's and early 8o's) at LESS than I had paid the subcontract manufacturer to buy the finished products. (Somehow the Mu-Tron and the Beigel Sound Lab stuff at THAT time had not achieved "vintage status", and almost nobody wanted to pay what it really should have cost.

For a Musitronics Vintage Mu-Tron III you need to look in Ebay and various vintage effects sites. Please don't be fooled by the unit that calls itself Mu-Tron III+, because that one is unauthorized and doesn't have the real Mu-Tron III circuit in it even though it is TRADEMARKED as Mu-Tron and advertised (falsely) as "The Original". OK?

You can get the TRU-TRON 3X from ME by signing up for it HERE,,but for the REAL vintage Musitronics Mu-Tron III you have to look hard and have a lot of money to spend. We can also repair and recalibrate units if you get a banged-up one that doesn't work. Please see my website www.mu-tron.ORG . The HAZ (not original) site is www.mu-tron.com, so please don't make the mistake of ordering the phony reissue....."

Good to see Mike has a sense of humor:

"CAPTAIN, WE'RE DOING EVERYTHING WE CAN BUT WE MIGHT RUN OUT OF FUEL BEFORE WE GET TO PLANET MU-FX. THE ORDERS ARE COMING IN FASTER THAN WE CAN DEAL WITH THEM.....AND THAT IS CONSUMING ALL OUR FUEL. WE GOT TO GET MORE DI-LITHIUM CRYSTALS TO KEEP UP. ADVICE PLEASE, CAPTAIN!!!!!"

"Do not write so that you can be understood, write so that you cannot be misunderstood." -Epictetus

First show: 8/16/69 (Woodstock)
Last show: 3/19/95 (Unbroken Chain breakout)
Member of the Four-Decade Club
Charter Member, President & CEO of OAD (Order of the Ancient Deadheads)

Well hopefully one of you guys has the capability, time, and kindess to record some clips. I have been blessed with an original mutron, on loan, to try out for an undetermined amount of time. I get to try it out this weekend at practic. I can't wait! It will b cool to finally make my own decision on the qtron mutron debate and also to know that there might finally be a new production unit that is equal to the original to purchase. Greg...

"Anybody who already wrote in an order, or writes an order BEFORE OCTOBER 4 will receive the 10% discount and hand signed product. After October 4 I really have to sell at list price and stop signing products, or I won;t have time to make any of the other new "augmented reissue products" from Old Faithful Musitronics New Jersey, ThANKS m mt"

"Do not write so that you can be understood, write so that you cannot be misunderstood." -Epictetus

First show: 8/16/69 (Woodstock)
Last show: 3/19/95 (Unbroken Chain breakout)
Member of the Four-Decade Club
Charter Member, President & CEO of OAD (Order of the Ancient Deadheads)

Something seems strange about this to me. Mike was all over his fb page announcing the release of the new mutron pedal. Now he announces that they will not be ready to ship on the 4th as planned, which is fine, I realize things like that are commonplace when it comes to manufacturing, but some of his most recent post seems a little odd. Im not calling the guy out or anything like that, but he hasn't posted anything since then. Just wondering if anyone else is thinking the same thing? Again please don't attack me, Im not suggesting the guy is scamming people or anything like that.

No, not here. He just seems like the gizmo guy, not a marketing or MBA type. He's wearing all the hats with this one, unlike Musitronics. His suppliers missed promise dates. Frankly, the less time he's on Facebook the more he's doing "real" work!

"Do not write so that you can be understood, write so that you cannot be misunderstood." -Epictetus

First show: 8/16/69 (Woodstock)
Last show: 3/19/95 (Unbroken Chain breakout)
Member of the Four-Decade Club
Charter Member, President & CEO of OAD (Order of the Ancient Deadheads)

yeah... if you're struggling to handle fb... and paypal... and have a hundred units in to sign and ship out on the 3rd or 4th... and you're a one man operation, you might be just a little preoccupied (maybe super busy) working to get ready, process, and ship units. Paypal is set up for this if it fails in delivery... so I wouldn't stress about it.

I'm sure you guys are probably right. Its just that Im super excited to get my hands on one of these. Its one of those things where its almost too good to be true. And you know what usually happens when its too good to be true. My wife accuses me of being a pessimist often. I'll be quiet now.

I'm not on FB and missed his post that these weren't going out on the 4th. I'm not surprised, worried, or in a rush -- I've seen this sort of thing before with other pedal builders -- but I also can't find the exact FB post where he shares this news. Can anyone repost it? Does he offer any sort of projected date? Most of his FB page seems dedicated to whipping up a frenzy for his stuff and the new pedal, which is fine, but less hype/more actual info would also be welcome.

I too am not on fb, and methinks a guy like Mike is on it for free networking purposes only. The whipping into a frenzy is probably exactly why he has the fb page. Look at the business it stirred up for him (after it was reposted here). I'm hoping these units are everything a Mu-tron III is and more, but I don't understand why it seems like people are racing to order these things, why not sit back and let our esteemed brethren with deeper pockets test the waters first? Could be my $ would be better spent towards a vintage Mu, but at this point who can say? Also, some part of me feels like the price point was arrived at by starting with the cost of a vintage Mu and backing off until mere mortals could almost afford it.

I jumped in because he is 'the guy' who seems to know most about the one that works best, and the discount was a good incentive for 'now'. Paying well over 500 for a pedal is just not in my plans - especially given that it may require some maintenance to get it working right. I paid a similar amount for the KOT... and waited a year. When I got that pedal I was very pleased. At the moment, I have an MXR EF that works pretty well, the best I've had so far... I've built one as well.. and built another EF, and have owned a bunch of others... all cheaper, and none really did the job. Hopefully, this one will be the one that stays and does everything I want.